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30 Sep 2004 | Farm exports slump in August
Australia is finding it harder to sell both farm and manufactured goods overseas. ...... FULL STORY
30 Sep 2004 | Producers rebuild sheep flocks
Australia’s sheep producers are expected to withhold adult sheep from slaughter in bid to rebuild flocks over the next year. ...... FULL STORY
30 Sep 2004 | Ten per cent price rise in milk price tipped
Milk prices at the farm gate may increase by as much as 10 per cent, Tatura Milk Industries Jeff Martin said. ABARE recently forecast that milk prices would increase by 4.5 per cent. ...... FULL STORY
29 Sep 2004 | Oil rips through $US50
Crude oil prices have soared through the $US50 a barrel barrier, leading to forecasts that higher diesel and petrol prices will be with us for months. ...... FULL STORY
29 Sep 2004 | AQIS cracks wheat export scam
Quarantine authorities delayed a shipment of 20,000 tonnes of Australian wheat from Fremantle to Indonesia. ...... FULL STORY
29 Sep 2004 | Howard’s spending spree keeps the bush in mind
The coalition government would spray $40 million at funding more weed reduction and would also beef up Australia's quarantine system if re-elected. ...... FULL STORY
29 Sep 2004 | Activity zones preferred over farming reserves
Local government zoning of farmland is likely to convert to a more flexible category of rural activity in Victoria. ...... FULL STORY
28 Sep 2004 | Korean wool demand in the dumps
South Korea continues to be a disappointing export market for woolgrowers, with Korean wool production facilities operated at only 60 per cent to 70 per cent of full capacity from January to July 2004. ...... FULL STORY
28 Sep 2004 | Court asked to impose olive oil duty
Olive growers are taking action in the Federal Court to try and force the federal government to impose an import duty on subsidised product for Europe. ...... FULL STORY
28 Sep 2004 | Crop yields lag demand
Global crop yields must soar in coming years or the world will face a grain shortage, Professor Monkombu Swaminathan, one of the pioneers of the green revolution and a winner of the World Food Prize, told a crop conference in Brisbane. ...... FULL STORY
27 Sep 2004 | Markets code a voluntary affair
Fruit and vegetable growers are wrangling with the federal government over a new code for dealing with wholesalers. ...... FULL STORY
27 Sep 2004 | Grow wheat, not meat
Diets may have to change, and crops may have to replace livestock to lower the amount of water used in growing food. ...... FULL STORY
24 Sep 2004 | Parmalat shuts doors on Warwick factory
Milk producer Parmalat Australia said it would close its soft cheese and butter factory in Warwick, Queensland, within six months. ...... FULL STORY
24 Sep 2004 | Iraq wheat sale tipped
The Australian What Board is rumoured to have beaten the US to a contract to supply 800,000 tonnes of wheat to Iraq. ...... FULL STORY
24 Sep 2004 | China looks abroad for grain
Agricultural exports to China from Australia for broadacre farm products such as wheat are certain to increase, mainly due to a shortage of arable land in China as cities expand and incomes rise. ...... FULL STORY
24 Sep 2004 | Timber soaks up rainfall
Timber plantations in some areas are using more water than the average rainfall, leaving little water for other agricultural uses. ...... FULL STORY
23 Sep 2004 | Aussies cling to prime cut of Japan’s beef market
The stand off between Japan and the US over Japan’s ban on US beef will help Australian exporters, with exports of Australian beef to Japan likely to surpass $2.2 billion this year. ...... FULL STORY
22 Sep 2004 | Namoi profits despite drought
Namoi Cotton expects to earn a net profit in 2005 of between $5 million and $7.5 million, in spite of a reduced cotton harvest. ...... FULL STORY
22 Sep 2004 | Frosts dampen wheat forecast
Australian Wheat Forecasting, cut its national estimate for this year’s crop to 24.7 million tonnes, a fall in the crop estimate of one million tonnes in a week, and the second reduction in the estimate this month. ...... FULL STORY
22 Sep 2004 | ABB and AusBulk merger endorsed
Shareholders in South Australian grain distributor ABB yesterday approved an $850 million merger scheme with handling and storage group AusBulk. ...... FULL STORY
21 Sep 2004 | Agricultural recovery consolidates
Farm production will stabilise in 2004/05, the government’s commodity forecaster ABARE concludes in its latest quarterly forecast. ...... FULL STORY
21 Sep 2004 | Middle eastern customers run away from live sheep
Australian live sheep exports fell in July by 63 per cent compared with 2003, to 156,759 head, the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimate. ...... FULL STORY
21 Sep 2004 | Beef sales may slump if Japan lifts US ban
Australian beef exports to Japan are likely to drop next year, if Japan lifts its ban on American beef imports by the end of the year. ...... FULL STORY
20 Sep 2004 | Smart managers milk richer profits from dairy farms
A study commissioned by Dairy Australia found that good farm management could double dairy farm output and more than quadruple farm profits. ...... FULL STORY
20 Sep 2004 | Chooks choke when systems fail
Growers that rear poultry for chicken meat processors are at odds over the quality of systems used to maintain conditions in electronically controlled, tunnel-ventilated chook sheds. ...... FULL STORY
20 Sep 2004 | Leasehold conversion prospects multiply
The New South Wales government is willing to allow the conversion of much more land from leasehold to freehold than first thought. ...... FULL STORY
17 Sep 2004 | States bail out of deal on water
State governments say they will no longer match funds for the National Water Initiative, after the states learned the federal government would reduce general state grants to fund the federal government’s own contribution. ...... FULL STORY
17 Sep 2004 | Price rises offset export decline for dairy processors
Prices for global milk commodities are reaching highs. ...... FULL STORY
17 Sep 2004 | El Nino becckons as temperature rise
The chance of hotter, drier days in south-eastern Australia is rising, according to the latest three month outlook from the Bureau of Meteorology. ...... FULL STORY
16 Sep 2004 | Drought dries up dairy profits
Profits of Australian dairy farms fell by 80 per cent during the drought over the last two years, research by ABARE for Dairy Australia, the industry's research, trade and marketing arm has found. ...... FULL STORY
16 Sep 2004 | AWB review delayed
The independent panel investigating AWB International’s performance as manager of the wheat single desk has been given a second extension, and will now report to the federal government at the end of September. ...... FULL STORY
16 Sep 2004 | Queensland cotton crop doubled
Queensland Cotton said it processed almost double the volume in the last year than it expected, with 476,000 bales ginned during the Australian ginning season, which was twice the previous financial year's volume. ...... FULL STORY
16 Sep 2004 | Shoppers eat well on red meat
Red meat demand has increased in the past year. ...... FULL STORY
15 Sep 2004 | Wheat returns lift by $8 per tonne
Monopoly wheat exporter AWB Ltd this week lifted its estimates of the returns that farmers will get for their crops. ...... FULL STORY
15 Sep 2004 | Cattle prices in a frenzy
Cattle prices are looking up, thanks to reasonable rain and a fall in the Australian dollar. ...... FULL STORY
15 Sep 2004 | Feds won’t pay for stock ID scheme
The federal trade minister Mark Vaile says the coalition won’t fund the National Livestock Identification Scheme. ...... FULL STORY
15 Sep 2004 | Canola in price stampede
Canola prices have jumped $50 a tonne in the past few weeks, due to frost scares in Canada. ...... FULL STORY
14 Sep 2004 | Wool clip poised for recovery
Australian Wool Innovation forecasts that shorn wool production will rise to 500,000 tonnes in 2004 from 480,000 tonnes in 2003. ...... FULL STORY
14 Sep 2004 | Drought kicks boot makers
Australia's rural boot makers sell most of their products to the city feet. ...... FULL STORY
14 Sep 2004 | US climate centre spots El Nino system
The El Nino climate system, usually associated with drought conditions in Australia, is returning, but won't be as bad as the last episode in 1997-98. ...... FULL STORY
14 Sep 2004 | Live export trade targeted in RSPCA campaign
The RPSCA is stepping up its campaign to ban the export of live animals. ...... FULL STORY
14 Sep 2004 | Coalition diverts state grants into water works
The coalition government proposes to establish a $2 billion fund for water conservation. ...... FULL STORY
13 Sep 2004 | Canola and cotton prices rises offset wheat’s decline
Strong canola and cotton prices helped push the Westpac NFF Rural Commodity Index up one per cent during August. ...... FULL STORY
13 Sep 2004 | Processors pulp citrus grower margins
About 200 growers in New South Wales citrus industry are refusing to sign contracts with key processors Berri and Golden Circle. ...... FULL STORY
13 Sep 2004 | US and EU ordered to stop cotton and sugar subsidies
The World Trade Organisation has ruled against US cotton farm support schemes. ...... FULL STORY
13 Sep 2004 | Wool clip grows four per cent
The wool industry is on track to post its first production increase in eight years. ...... FULL STORY
10 Sep 2004 | Water savings would offset water cuts
Lower water allocations to irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin would cost the economy about 400 jobs and $88 million a year, according to a study by the Centre for International Economics. ...... FULL STORY
10 Sep 2004 | Tractors drive out dealers doors
Drought is an inspiration to farmers to search for better business practices, and in a surprise twist the eastern Australian drought has helped drive a surge in farm machinery sales. ...... FULL STORY
9 Sep 2004 | Farmers count the cost of going green
The National Farmers' Federation wants the next government to provide up to $1 billion to pay landholders to conserve native vegetation and keep vermin and weeds off their properties. ...... FULL STORY
9 Sep 2004 | Wine crushes previous record
The wine industry achieved record production in 2004, with an estimated crush of 1.86 million tonnes, up 40 per cent on the previous record, in 2002. ...... FULL STORY
9 Sep 2004 | Farmers agitate against competition policy
Farming lobby groups in South and Western Australia are continuing their battle against national competition policy with a second series of advertisements in The Australian newspaper. ...... FULL STORY
8 Sep 2004 | Another corker year for wine exports
Australia's wine exports soared 14 per cent to 595 million litres in the year to August, while value was up 6 per cent to $2.58 billion. ...... FULL STORY
8 Sep 2004 | Industry tries to keep US beef at bay
The Australian beef industry is working to consolidate its $2 billion share of the Japanese market, as the US presses to be allowed to return. ...... FULL STORY
8 Sep 2004 | Stripe rust blooms in southern wheat belt
Southern Australia may be on the verge of a stripe rust epidemic in its wheat crops. ...... FULL STORY
8 Sep 2004 | Harvest forecast downgraded
Continuing dry conditions throughout much of Australia's grainbelt has led to lower forecasts for this year's Winter crop. ...... FULL STORY
8 Sep 2004 | Rain on the grain leaves farmers still in pain
Grain growers are 10 days away from hitting the wall, in spite of good rains a fortnight ago. ...... FULL STORY
7 Sep 2004 | SA splits Ag department into three
South Australia’s Primary Industries and Resources agency will divide the agriculture, food and fisheries division of PIRSA into three sections: agriculture and wine, fisheries and aquaculture. ...... FULL STORY
7 Sep 2004 | Cattle leave electronic tracks
The Queensland government resolved a dispute with the cattle industry over a livestock identification system that aims to track meat from the paddock to the plate. ...... FULL STORY
7 Sep 2004 | Another Stanbroke remnant hits the cattle market
Davenport, a 1.5 million hectare property, north west of Windorah is up for sale. ...... FULL STORY
7 Sep 2004 | Cotton looks promising
A more positive trend in cotton prices and some recent rains have triggered renewed interest in dryland cotton. ...... FULL STORY
6 Sep 2004 | Drought: avoiding a populist response
News that Australia is on the verge of another El Nino event came as the national accounts showed how badly the drought has affected farm output. ...... FULL STORY
6 Sep 2004 | A world-class wine industry
No obstacle seems to slow the growth of the Australian wine industry: in 1980 it exported 2 per cent of its wine and was virtually unknown in Europe and the US. ...... FULL STORY
6 Sep 2004 | ASEAN trade deal a step closer
Trade ministers from 10 Association of South-East Asian Nations countries yesterday voted in favour of launching formal negotiations for free-trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand. ...... FULL STORY
6 Sep 2004 | Meat output rises despite the drought
Despite more than 60 per cent of Australia's farmland still being drought-declared, the meat industry's output is rising, with beef exports soaring and lamb production set to reach record highs next year. ...... FULL STORY
6 Sep 2004 | Dairy sector milks increased sales
The outlook for the dairy sector has become more positive despite the lingering effects of the drought, says Dairy Australia. ...... FULL STORY
3 Sep 2004 | Olive oil tariff blow
The olive oil industry is critical of the Federal Government's rejection of a call for tariffs to protect Australian producers from subsidised European Union imports. ...... FULL STORY
3 Sep 2004 | Farm animals to 'athletes'
Researchers have found that cattle manage heat stress better and retain their body weight if certain electrolytes, such as those found in sports drinks, are added to their drinking water. ...... FULL STORY
3 Sep 2004 | Labor floats feed grain plan
Labor says it will force the Wheat Export Authority to consult regularly with feed grain users if it wins government. ...... FULL STORY
3 Sep 2004 | Ire over approval for South Gippsland wind farm
The Victorian Government has approved the development of a $220 million wind farm at Bald Hills in South Gippsland. ...... FULL STORY
3 Sep 2004 | Qld graziers end their beef over tags
The Queensland beef industry has ended its dispute with the State Government over the adoption of the National Livestock Identification Scheme. ...... FULL STORY
2 Sep 2004 | El Nino may be on the cards
The late arrival of an El Nino event has left climate analysts wondering about its impact on eastern Australian rainfall. ...... FULL STORY
2 Sep 2004 | Lesbian cow study udderly serious
Professor Clive Phillips from the University of Queensland is hoping to find out why domestic cows mount each other during fertile periods. ...... FULL STORY
2 Sep 2004 | Jeff strikes blow for the boys while the iron's hot
Jeff Duncan, an 18-year-old from Glen-Esk station in far western NSW, has won the inaugural Bachelor of the Show award at the Wentworth Show. ...... FULL STORY
2 Sep 2004 | Drought still affecting production of cotton, rice
The agricultural sector may have largely recovered from the 2002-2003 drought but the outlook remains unsteady. ...... FULL STORY
2 Sep 2004 | Cane farmers lift green effort
Cane farmers are lifting their environmental performance but still have a fair way to go, an audit of the sugar industry has found. ...... FULL STORY
1 Sep 2004 | Pig industry faces new PC probe
The Productivity Commission will investigate the Australian pork industry, looking at the economic problems facing the industry. ...... FULL STORY
1 Sep 2004 | Wineries toast tax rebate
Small wine producers will celebrate today after the Senate passed a tax rebate, to take effect from October 1. ...... FULL STORY
1 Sep 2004 | Concerns grow over drought handouts
The Federal Government is about to extend full drought relief assistance to farmers in the southern NSW electorate of Eden-Monaro, one of Australia's most marginal seats. ...... FULL STORY
1 Sep 2004 | ACCC backs grain takeover deal
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has given the green light to ABB Grain's proposed takeover of AusBulk. ...... FULL STORY
1 Sep 2004 | Fruit, veg growers slam code delay
AUSVEG, Australia's vegetable growers' association, has accused the Federal Government of stalling a decision on changes to the retail grocery code of conduct. ...... FULL STORY
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